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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners

 JAKE’S NATURE GUIDE:
BIRDING FOR BEGINNERS
BASIC INFO ON BIRDS AND TIPS ON SEEING AND
IDENTIFYING BIRDS IN THE FIELD

By Mark Danenhauer
Illustrated by Phyllis Danenhauer
June 2017

Copyright© 2017 Mark Danenhauer

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.

All photos used under license from Shutterstock.com or are the property of
the author.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
BIRDING FOR BEGINNERS

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of birds! I am very excited that you are
reading this eBook now as it means that you have already taken the Eirst step
towards learning about the natural world all around us.

I think that learning about birds is a great Eirst step to take towards becoming an
amateur naturalist. Before you know it you will be able to identify birds you see
when you are out hiking, at the park, or at a friends house.

Birds are a good introduction to learning about the natural world because they are
all around us and they are easy to see and study. It seems like anytime you look
outside of your window you can see birds Elying through the sky or perched in a tree.
They are much more common and easier to see than other animals such as many
insects, Eish, reptiles, and mammals.

How many times have you been on a hike and seen a bear? Personally, I love hiking
and get out as often as possible, but I still can remember on two hands the times that
I have seen a bear in the wild. It is a rare and exciting occurrence. Now compare
that with the number of times you see a bird? Just about any time you look outside
you see a bird – too many to count.

However, like everything we can’t just pick up a book and instantly become an
expert. It will take time, patience, and practice to gain knowledge about bird
behavior and to be able to identify birds.

This e-book is designed to give you a little bit of background information about the
bird lifecycle, bird behavior, and tips to help you see and identify birds. I hope that
you Eind the information useful!

CURIOUS FOR MORE?

If you enjoy learning about the natural world and are hungry
for more information then check out my blog: Jake’s Nature
Blog or you can buy my paper book, Jake’s Nature Guide:
Rocky Mountains, which covers all aspects of the Rocky
Mountains in addition to just birds.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR BEGINNING BIRDERS

Beginning birders should follow a few simple steps to become familiar with birds.

I know I've remarked on it before, but I'm going to say it again. Anytime that you go
or even just look outside you are likely to see birds. This makes learning about birds
a great Eirst step towards gaining a better appreciation of the natural world around
you. Here are some simple steps to help set you on your way.

A Starting Point For Beginning Birders

Please think of this step-by-step guide as simply a starting point for beginning
birders. As you learn more about birds you will come up with your own ideas and
practices. I put this together to simply help those people who are looking for some
general guidance to get them started.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are doing this for fun! Don't
ever forget why you are doing this. It is fun to go for walk, hike, or sit outside and
observe birds.

1. Congratulations on your interest in learning about birds! You have already

taken the Eirst step, which is the interest or desire to learn about birds.

2. Buy a Xield guide to the birds of your area. A good Eield guide will help you
know what birds are in your area. It is important that you Eind a guide to your area
as opposed to all of North America. There are way more birds in all of North
America than just in your area and that book will simply complicate Einding a bird in
the book.

Once you have the book, I would suggest just Elipping through it to become
acquainted with how it is organized. The more familiar you are with the book, the
easier it will be to use in the Eield when you are actually trying to Eigure out what a
bird you see is.

3. Start observing the world around you. This sounds simple and obvious, but as
Sherlock Holmes says, 'seeing and observing are not the same.' When I say
observing, I mean that you need to really pay attention to what is around you. Look
closely at the trees and you may see some birds. What was that Elash of movement
down by those bushes?

As you observe closely, begin to get a sense of the overall size, shape, and color of a
bird in a Elash. Oftentimes you will not have a lot of time to look at the bird and you
need to take in as much as you can in that brief snapshot.

4. Learn about the basic features of a bird so that you know what to look for
when you are in the Eield. This is important because knowing the general features of

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
a bird will help you know what to look for when you see a bird in the Eield. Some of
the things that you may want to look for is the tail, beak shape, crown, legs, habitat,
and color. You can use the simple bird diagram on page 9 to help you.

5. Start to observe bird behavior. After you have familiarized yourself with the
basics to identify the bird, the next step is to watch how the bird behaves. This is the
fun part. Stay still, either standing or Eind a nice place to sit and just observe a bird.
How does it Ely? Does it soar high up in the air or does it Ely around quickly like a
tiny Eighter plane? Does it perch high up in a tree alone or does it Ely in a Elock?

There are an endless list of things that you notice and learn about bird behavior. I
would suggest that when you being you just start watching birds and see what
interests you. Afterwards, when you return home you can research that behavior to
see why the bird was doing what it did.

6. Use these skills and knowledge and now move on to watching birds and
identifying them in the Xield.

A Clark’s nutcracker is a common Rocky Mountain bird.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
6 BIRD WATCHING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Bird watching in the Rocky Mountains can be difEicult when you Eirst try to do it or if
you simply don't know what you are doing. Luckily, with a bit of practice and by
following these tips you can quickly learn to hear and see birds all around you.

1. Stay quiet and listen - Birds are always talking and listening to each other. This
means that they can hear if there are people around, which sometimes can get them
to be quiet. A good way to notice birds is if you are very quiet and listen yourself.
You may surprise yourself at how many different kinds and numbers of birds that
you can hear at any one place. Once you hear where the noise from the birds is
coming from the trick becomes trying to see the bird.

2. Walk/hike slowly - If you go for a fast hike or walk you are not going to see very
many birds. The best way to see and hear many birds is to walk slowly and pay
attention to the sounds and movements along the trail.

3. Sit still - Even better than just walking slowly is to pick a nice spot and just sit or
stand still for several minutes. By sitting still and keeping your eyes and ears open
you will give yourself a chance to see or hear all the birds in the area.

4. Best places to watch for birds - You can see birds in any habitat because birds
live everywhere. You can see birds near water, in forests, open meadows, or high up
in the mountains. Keeping that in mind, the best places to see the most birds are
near water and at the edge of two different habitats, such as on the edge of a forest
next to a meadow or at the very edge of the meadow near the forest.

5. Watch for movement - Often you may just see a Elash of movement in the corner
of your eye that is a bird darting from one bush to another. If you hold still and look
towards that spot you may see the bird move again. It can be hard to see a bird
holding still on a bush or tree. But, once that bird moves you will easily see it and
can see where it lands.

6. Best times to look for birds - Birds tend to be more active at certain times of
day, which makes them easier to spot because they are Elying or moving around a lot.
In general, the best times to see birds are early in the morning or in the evening,
since those are when birds are the most active.

Following these simple tips will make bird watching more fun and will help you to
see lots of birds anytime that you are outside. This includes your backyard, the park,
and the next time you go for a hike in the Rocky Mountains. The next step is to learn
how to identify birds.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
6 TIPS ON IDENTIFYING BIRDS FOR BEGINNERS

Identifying birds in the Rocky Mountains can be a fun thing to do when you are out
exploring. It may be challenging to identify birds in the Eield when you are just
starting. Fortunately, by knowing a few tips, identifying birds becomes much easier.

The Eirst thing in order to identify birds is to follow the tips on bird watching, which
will help you see lots of birds. Once you start seeing lots of birds when you are
outside then you are ready to take the next step and learn how to actually identify
the different kinds of birds.

A key and big help to identify birds is to purchase a Eield guide to the birds in your
area. I strongly suggest a guide to just your area as opposed to birds of North
America or some other large area.

1. Size of Bird - How big is the bird? This can be difEicult to guess, especially if the
bird is far away or is sitting on a branch of a tree way up high. A good way to guess
is to think of something that you know the size of and try to compare the size of the
bird with that. For example, you may know how big a soccer ball is. Does the bird
look bigger, smaller, or about the same size as the soccer ball. This will just give you
a general idea if the bird is small, medium, or large.

Another way to estimate the size of the bird is to compare it to the size of birds you
are familiar with. For example, a sparrow is a small bird, a pigeon is a medium sized
bird, and a hawk is a large bird. Does the bird you see look similar in size to one of
those?

2. Shape of bird - What does the overall shape of the bird look like? Is it short and
fat or is it tall and thin with long legs? Does it have a short tail or a long tail? Does it
have feathers standing up on the top of it's head or not? This does not need to be
done in detail, but you can just glance at the bird and note the overall appearance.
This shape can help you identify what kind of bird it is.

3. Shape and length of bill - this may be hard to see, but try to look closely at the
bill of the bird. The shape of the bird's bill will actually tell you a lot about the bird.
It will give you an idea as to what that kind of bird eats and therefore may help you
Eigure out where it lives.

4. Behavior of the bird - What is the bird doing? Is it Elying around the tops of the
trees or is it going up and down the trunk of a tree looking for food? Also, notice if
the bird is part of a Elock or is alone. Does it stay up on trees or shrubs or does it get
down on the ground? If it is on the ground how does it move around - by walking or
hopping?

5. Color of the bird - This may seem simple and easy to do, but can be harder than
you think. You may not have a lot of time to look before the bird Elies away, so do

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
your best to look and remember. Focus on the head, neck, back, breast, and the tail
feathers when it Elies.

If you have some time, then look at the overall colors of the bird. Is the entire bird
one color or is the back one color and the breast a different color? Is the head of the
bird one color or are there stripes running down the head? Are there any markings
on the neck of the bird? What about the wings?

Keep in mind that certain kinds of birds may be different colors at different times of
year. Also, some young birds may be a different color than the adults or females and
males may differ in their coloring. Just look at the coloring of the bird you see and
look that up in your guide book.

6. Where are you? Look around you to see what kind of habitat you are and what
kind of habitat you see the bird in. Are you near a lake? In a forest? On a mountain
slope? Walking across a mountain meadow near forest?

To use binoculars or not for identifying birds?

Binoculars are not necessary to see and identify birds. But, if you have a pair bring
them along because you will be able to get a closer look at birds and it will help you
to identify more birds than you would be able to without them.

Being good at identifying birds will give you another way of understanding the
natural world around you. If you are very interested, you can always learn more
about the common birds of the Rocky Mountains or even other birds such that you
can go beyond just identifying them but even begin to understand their behavior,
about bird reproduction (baby birds, nests, and raising their young), or how birds
stay warm in winter.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
ABOUT BIRDS

When I Eirst became interested in birds I was overwhelmed at how many different
kinds there were. I wanted to learn more about them and be able to identify the
different kinds, but I simply didn't know where to start. I had no idea what the
different parts of the bird were called or which were important for identifying birds.
Well, here is a diagram and a short explanation of what to look for.

This simple bird diagram shows the main parts of a bird. This knowledge will help
with describing and identifying different birds. Oftentimes this information is most
useful when describing the coloring of a bird. A description may say something like,
“the bird has a blue back, and breast with a black neck and a black stripe on the
crown leading down to the nape.”

This simple bird diagram shows the main parts of a bird.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
If you see a bird that is sitting somewhere or Elying in the air try to notice these key
features, mainly focusing on the color and shape since that will help you identify the
bird:

Crest - Does the bird have a crest on its head?

Breast - What color is it? Is it the same as the rest of the bird's body?
Throat - Sometimes birds have a stripe of a different color on their throat.
Back - What color is the back of the bird?
Tail - What color is it? Is it very long or normal? What shape is it?
Belly - Is this the same color as the back?
Bill - What shape is the bird's bill? This is important because a bird's bill
gives important clues about the bird. I will talk about this later.

Did you know? Male and female birds can be different colors. Usually, male birds
are more colorful than female birds. This is the male’s effort to attract a mate,
essentially saying, “Hey, look at me!” He is showing the female how healthy he is.
Further complicating the coloring of birds, young birds are sometimes different
colors than adults.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
ALL BIRDS SHARE THESE CHARACTERISTICS

Birds are all around us. They are one of the easier forms of animal to see when you
spend time outdoors in the Rocky Mountains because they are so abundant and
come in such a variety of shapes and sizes.

Birds Come In Many Shapes And Sizes

Some birds, such as hummingbirds are tiny. Others are large and spend their days
soaring high up in the sky like vultures. Some have very long legs that help them
wade in water as they hunt for Eish or frogs. Others have sharp talons and bills that
help them catch small mice to eat.

Birds Live In All Parts Of The World

Birds live throughout the world in all habitats. There are some that are adapted to
living in wide-open Eields, others live in forests, and still others live near lakes and
ponds. Some of them spend their lives Elying over the ocean and traveling great
distances as they migrate. Birds are one of the animals that have adapted to live in
all the different areas of the world and their ability to Ely allows them to travel far
and wide.

A turkey vulture with its broad wings soars in the air.

What Makes a Bird a Bird?

All birds share certain characteristics no matter what kind of bird it is. All birds:

• Have a backbone;
• Lay eggs in nests;
• Are warm blooded, similar to reptiles and mammals;
• Have feathers; and
• Have wings.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
THE MAIN CATEGORIES OR TYPES OF BIRDS

Knowing the main categories or different types of birds will prove a great help in
learning to identify birds. While it is true that all birds share certain characteristics,
there are many different types of birds. If you know the general type or category of a
bird you will already know a little bit about it and it’s behavior.

This small bird is a Black Capped Chickadee.

I am most deEinitely not a professional birder, but I can identify the main types of
birds that I see on a regular basis. This is something that came about over a long
time, a lot of practice, and time spent outdoors observing the natural world. Now, I
can recognize a black capped chickadee, cormorant, or a Steller's Jay. If I can do it,
then you too can do it!

Here are some of the general categories or types of birds in the world. You can Eind
birds listed in these categories when you are looking through a bird guide to help
you identify birds in the Eield.

As I began writing this and doing more research I realized that this can be quite
complicated. My goal here is to keep this simple so that beginners can begin to learn
about the general categories of the birds they see during a regular day.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners

A Red tailed hawk is a bird of prey.

I am going to get a bit technical for a second to give you some background
information. Birds fall within the Kingdom of Animals and occupy a unique class
within it called Aves. All animals within that class are birds and share certain
characteristics that make them birds. Within the broad class of birds there are about
40 different families of birds, which include all of the different species of birds
ranging from the large hawks and owls down to the tiny hummingbird.

I don't think knowing all of those families of birds is simple or necessary for
beginners. Instead, I have decided to list several general categories of birds based
on their shape and where they live. Various birding books use similar systems to
help identify birds.

Knowing the general category a bird belongs to will help you narrow down your
choices and help you identify the bird.

A mallard is a swimming bird.
Swimming Birds

Many birds live around water, but not all of them spend most of their time actually
swimming on or in water. If you see a bird that is Eloating on water, swimming along
then it is a swimming bird. Some of the swimming birds are ducks, geese, swans,

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
and cormorants. You will probably see some birds that are swimming, but are not
one of these main ones. If that happens then you will already have a clue towards
Eiguring out what it is.

Aerial Water Birds

These birds also live near water, but instead of swimming on or sitting on water they
are also often seen Elying over water. Most of these kinds of birds live in the ocean
and Ely long distances and can easily soar in the air. Some of these are pelicans,
terns, and seagulls.

An egret is a wading bird.
Wading Birds

These birds are all tall, with long legs that help them wade in water while they hunt
for food. When they see something they use their long, sharp bill like a spear to stab
at and catch their meal, which could be Eish or frogs. These birds include herons and
egrets.

Shorebirds

These are the birds that you see along the edges of water, such as lakes, rivers, or the
ocean. Shorebirds do not have legs as long as the wading birds and are generally
much shorter. Oftentimes these birds are fast runners as they run along the shore
looking for food. Examples are plovers or oystercatchers.

Birds of Prey

Birds of prey include all birds that hunt for their food. Some of them catch Eish,
others mice, and other small mammals or even small birds. Examples include
hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners

A Clarks Nutcracker is a regular land bird.
Regular Land Birds

This is kind of a general category for birds that are all a medium size and don't live
near water, nor are hunters. They also do not spend most of their time on the
ground. Examples of these include pigeons, doves, woodpeckers, and Elickers.

Small, Fast Flyers

The birds in this category are all small and very fast Elyers. They are like the Eighter
pilot birds as they zip through the sky and go in every direction. The main small, fast
Elyers that you will see are hummingbirds, swifts, and swallows.

A Steller's Jay is a songbird.
Songbirds

Songbirds are those birds that you often hear singing as they are perched on trees or
hidden in bushes. Some of the common songbirds include robins, and crows.

Small Birds

There are a lot of these small birds that live everywhere. They are often hard to see
as they live and hide in thick brush or trees. IdentiEication of these small birds is
difEicult since there are so many different kinds. Examples include sparrows,
Einches, and warblers
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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
A BIRD’S BILL HOLDS CLUES ABOUT THE BIRD

Have you ever noticed that all birds have different shaped bills? Birds’ bills are like
clues, telling the observant person all about the bird.

Birds' bills are not all the same! Some birds like the chickadee have a small thick bill,
but others are very different. For example, a hummingbird's bill is long and thin.

Birds have different bill shapes and sizes, just like different mammals have different
shapes and sizes of their teeth. This is because birds, just like mammals do not all
eat the same kinds of things nor do they all live in the same place. Some birds eat
Eish and frogs and live by water, while others eat berries, nuts, or insects and live in
forests.

I know that mammals’ teeth and mouth are different based on what kinds of food
they eat. For example, predators such as cougars have sharp teeth for tearing and
ripping meat, but deer or moose have teeth that are made for chewing. Birds are
exactly the same - their bills are shaped for whatever kind of food they eat. You can
look at any of the common birds of the Rocky Mountains and learn about the bird
based solely on the shape of the bird's bill.

The shape of a bird's bill will give you clues about what kind of food that bird eats.
Knowing what kind of food a bird eats will help you Eigure out where that bird lives.

Examples of Bird's Bills

Look at the photo and think to yourself what this bird may eat and where it may live
before you read the text below the photo.

A hummingbird.

Hummingbird - a hummingbirds' bill is long. It is also thin, which makes it perfect

for sipping or drinking nectar from Elowers. Since is drinks from Elowers, it probably
lives near areas where there are lots of Elowers, such as meadows.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners

A Downy woodpecker.

Woodpecker - notice his sharp, strong bill that is perfect for hammering on wood to
look for insects in the tree. Since woodpeckers look for food in trees they need to
live near trees so they can be found in forests or woodlands.

Black capped chickadee

Black Capped Chickadee - notice that this bird has a small, short bill, which allows
it to eat insects, seeds, and berries. It is poky enough that it can stab at small insects,
yet also strong enough for it to break small seeds. These different kinds of food are
all available in forests, which is where they live.

Red tailed hawk

Red Tailed Hawk - Look at that bill. It is pointed and sharp on the end, which
makes it perfect for ripping and tearing into food. This makes it a carnivore. Red
tailed hawks need to live somewhere high up where they can see over a lot of
terrain. This is actually one of the most common birds in the USA and can be found
in many different types of habitat, but they prefer open areas such as Eields and
deserts.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners

Snowy egret

Snowy Egret - Wow! Look at that long, pointed bill that is like a spear. It is perfect
for stabbing at Eish or other small animals in the water. Since Snowy egrets eat Eish
and frogs they live near water. This could be near marshes, ponds, or even Elooded
Eields.

This is a magpie. What do you think that bill is used for? This is a hard one.

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BIRD MIGRATION

The main thing I remember hearing about bird migration is that birds go south in
winter and north in summer. That is not entirely true.

In the Rocky Mountains, fall is an important time for wildlife, especially birds. As the
days get colder and shorter birds need to do what is in their nature. For some, this
means migrating long distances and for others it means staying put, but changing
their diet. Here is why bird migrate and the different options that birds choose
when it comes to migration.

Why Do Birds Migrate?

Birds migrate or not in order to Eind better resources of nesting sites. In other
words, birds may go south in the winter because they know they can Eind more food
there. Then in the summer they travel back north as food becomes available and
they Eind a place to nest and raise babies.

Bird Migration - Complete Migrators

Some birds, the ones that we think of with the old saying that birds Ely south for
winter, are complete migrators. In wintertime these birds travel long distances
to the south where it is warmer. These complete migrators may travel from the
Rocky Mountains to Central or South America. Then in summer they migrate back to
the Rocky Mountains where they breed (have babies). Roughly, birds migrate south
in July to November and to the north from March to early June.

A turkey vulture migrates long distances.

An example of a complete migrator includes the Turkey Vulture, which migrates to

central America or South America.

Did you know? Some large birds migrate during the day, but most birds, especially
small insect eating ones, migrate at night and rest during the day. They may be
found in large groups during the day feeding in a forest or along a stream.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
Bird Migration - Short Distance Migrators
Many birds migrate short distances. These birds are simply going somewhere else
where they know food is more available. They may migrate from higher to lower
elevations.

Bird Migration - Non-Migrators or Resident

Some birds do not migrate during the cold winters of the Rocky Mountains. Rather
they stay all year and adapt. This may mean they change their behavior such as
what they eat or where they roost.

A black capped chickadee is a resident or non-

migrator.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
BIRD NEST OR ROOST?

One of the animals that you are almost guaranteed to see every time you go outdoors
are birds. I hear birds chirping away somewhere in the trees or shrubs when we
walk by. Sometimes I spot a few birds Elying from tree to tree and darting off the
trail to hide in the bushes. Very rarely, I have even seen a bird sitting on a nest. I
haven't seen that very often for some reason. Well, here is an explanation of why
that is and what a roost is.

I always imagined that birds' nests were like their
homes and that they use them all of the time. I
thought that since birds take so much time to build a
nice nest they would use it all of the time. I pictured
the birds Elying around doing their thing all day, then in
the evening the mom and dad would return to the nest
sit down next to each other and fall asleep.

I was surprised to Eind out that is not true. Birds

actually only sit on their nests when they are having
babies. Most of the year they are not using their nests.
Instead at the end of the day when they are ready to go to sleep they simply go to a
nice, safe spot somewhere and fall asleep. These places that they stay at night are
called roosts.

I just want to explain the difference between a nest and a roost:

Nest -a place where birds have their babies and raise their chicks until they are big
enough to Ely. Generally, a nest is used only once (although a few birds will reuse a
nest for many years).

Roost - a place where birds go to rest or sleep at night. The main thing a bird is
looking for in a nice roost is a place that is safe from predators and is warm. A roost
could be a spot within thick bushes, the top of a tree, or even on water. Some birds
roost with lots of other birds in a place called a communal roost and many roost
alone. Generally, a roost is located in the same kind of area/habitat that the bird
lives.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
BABY BIRDS – NESTS AND REPRODUCTION

Most people are familiar with the general process of how birds have babies. They
mate; they lay an egg in a nest; they sit on the egg until it hatches; then they feed the
baby until it is able to leave the nest and Ely away. In fact that Einal part has become a
common saying among people - to leave the nest. It has the same meaning for
people as it does for birds - it is the time in a young birds life when it is becoming
independent.

While all birds follow this general process for having babies, there are many
different ways to go about it. It is helpful to take a little bit of time and understand
bird behavior to really understand the many different ways that birds make and
raise babies. For example, some birds make nests on the ground and others in trees.
Here is an overview of the different steps in making and raising baby birds. Each of
these just give the range of possible choices that a bird makes.

Bird Nests
The nest is incredibly important when it comes to baby birds because this is where
the parents lay the eggs that become baby birds.

Most birds build a new nest every year. However, some birds, such as the Peregrine
Falcon, may reuse the same nest every year.

The Eirst step in building a nest is choosing the location. It may be towards the
bottom or top of a tree, on a cliff face, in a hole in a tree for woodpeckers, or on the
ground. Wherever it is, after the location is selected the bird then somehow builds
its nest.

Thing about this, somehow without any plans or hands, birds build their nests. They
make the nest strong enough to withstand storms, big enough to hold their entire

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
family, and waterproof enough to keep out the rain. Can you imagine building a new
house for your family without any hands or plans every year?

Bird nests are made of natural things in the area, such as sticks, feathers, mud, or
dried grass. Nesting material is limited to what a bird can carry in its beak. Most
nests take between one to two weeks to build! There are four main kinds of nests:

Ground nest Cup nest

Platform nest
Pendulous nest

Bird Parents

Most birds have one mother and one father that raise them. But, how that is done
and how long it takes can be very different for different types of birds. In other
words, which bird builds the nest, sits on the eggs, or feeds the baby birds can differ.

For some birds the males build the nest and the females sit on the eggs the entire
time. For others the female builds the nest and the male never sits on the eggs.
For example, it is mainly the female Robin that builds a nest. The male may bring
her supplies, but she is the one that does the building. Then she is the only one that

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
sits on the eggs until they hatch. Once they hatch, both the male and female feed the
baby birds until they leave the nest.

As another example, both the male and female Peregrine Falcon parent take turns
sitting on the eggs until they hatch. This allows one of them to Ely off in search of
food while the other is with the eggs.

Baby Birds or Bird Reproduction

Eggs – This is the period from when the egg is laid until it hatches. For songbirds, it
takes on average 10 – 20 days for an egg to hatch. Raptors (hawk or eagle) eggs’ take
longer to hatch, up to 5 weeks. During this time one of the parents is sitting on the
nest the entire time to keep the eggs warm and to protect them from predators. The
parents keep the eggs warm in order to allow the eggs to develop into baby birds.

Nestling – This is the period from when a bird is born until it leaves the nest. Most
baby birds are born blind and without feathers. During this time, the parents must
keep them warm and feed them every Eifteen minutes.

Some birds leave the nest within hours, but others may be in the nest for weeks. For
songbirds, it takes on average 14 days till it can leave the nest. Raptors may remain
in the nest for 6-8 weeks.

Fledgling and Juvenile – This is the period from when the bird leaves the nest until
it is independent (not rely on adults for food).

When the bird Eirst leaves the nest it may not be able to Ely yet and can only hop. It
may still rely on it's parents for food. Over time it will be able to Ely and feed itself.
The length of time it takes a bird to go from a Eledgling to a juvenile varies greatly. It
can take anywhere from a few weeks for a songbird to 6 months for a Raven.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
BIRD MOLTING – WHAT IS IT? WHEN AND HOW OFTEN DO BIRDS
DO IT?

Many animals, including insects, reptiles, and birds molt. It is obvious when a snake
molts because it crawls out of its old skin. For birds, molting may not always be as
obvious of that, but it is just as important. Here is all you need to know about what
is molting in birds, and why and when they do it.

What is Molting?
In birds, molting is the process when birds replace some or all of their feathers with
new ones.

Kinds Of Molts:

Complete molt - when a bird loses all of its old feathers and replaces them with
new ones.
Partial molt - when a bird only loses some of its old feathers and replaces them
with new ones. For example, a bird may molt its Elight feathers.

Why Do Birds Molt?

Birds molt in order to keep their feathers in a good, healthy condition which is
crucial for their Elying. Some of the other reasons that birds molt is that it provides
the bird with a new look or color. After they molt their new colors will serve as a
sign of the bird’s age, sex, or the time of year.

When Do Birds Molt?

It takes birds a lot of energy to molt and grow new feathers. Due to this birds try to
molt at times of year when there are not other activities occurring that need a lot of
energy, such as building nests or migrating. The two most common times of year for
birds to molt are either before or after the breeding season.

How Often Do Birds Molt?

Most birds molt according to one of the following three main patterns:

One complete molt per year - many birds only have one complete molt per year.
There are many kinds of these birds, including chickadees, Elycatchers, hawks,
hummingbirds, swallows, and woodpeckers.
One complete molt and one partial molt per year - many other birds will molt all
of their feathers after nesting. Then before the next breeding season, they will have
a partial molt. At this time the males will grow bright colors in order to attract a
mate. Birds with this approach to molting include buntings, tanagers, and warblers.
Two complete molts per year - The Einal approach, which only a few birds choose,
it to make two complete molts every year. These birds tend to live in areas that put a
lot of damage on their feathers and so they need to be fully replaced. Some of these
birds include Marsh Wrens.

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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners
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Jake’s Nature Guide: Birding for Beginners